Glass-melting tank



March 6, 1928.

' K. G. KUTCHKA ET Ax.

GLASS vMFLTING TANK 4 Sheevts-Sheet 1.

Filed Marh 18. 1926A INVENTOR5,

March 6, 1928'.

, 1,661,836 K. G. KUTcHKA ET AL GLASS MELTINGl TANK -Filed March 1s, 192e 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvE'N-roRS, {MMA/w46 K. G. KUTCHKA ET ALv GLASS MELTING TANK March 6,J 1928. 1,661,836

Filed March 18. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ig .y 3.

w n my 4.

14\ /15\ /15 6 3v r i1" A13 r 1 Y l -1 lj 1 /l 17 4 lNVENTOR' March 6, 1928.

K. G. KUTCHKA ET AL GLASS MELTING TANK Filed Maron 1s." 192e F15 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 9. 50 l .A o i n. 36 T j 36 W//f//l// lNVENTOR Patented Mar. 6,1928.

` UNITED STATES P :iLanL G. KUTQHKA', oF WILXINSBURG, AND THOMAS H. SWARTZLANDEB.; or SPIN- WALL, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNons To PITTSBURGH PLATE GLAss courant.;

CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

GLASS-MELTING TANK.

Application inea maren is, 1926. serial No. 95,621.

The invention relates to glass melting tanks,such as those used inlbottle Work, in the making of glass cylinders, in the con,-

' tinuous roll-ing of rouvh plate glass, or for vention has a large .degree of utility in tanksV employed for other purposes as labove indicated. In a tank of the type illustrated in i which the batch is supplied' at one end and the finished glass withdrawn at the other end, therel is a tendency of the molten glassl to fiow through the center ofl the tank leaving the glass at the sides more or less stagnant, this being due -tov the fact that the glass. is hotter at the center of the tank than at the sides, and hence more fluid and to the fact that the friction'al resistance is greater along the'sides' of the tank than .at the' center. The lower temperature of the glass at the sides of the tank is in turn due to the `cooling effect of the tank side walls, which are often artificially cooled to lengthenthe life of the blocks.

Asa result ofn this relatively restricted iiow of Aglass down the center of the tank,

portions of the melted batch pass from the filling end of the tankto the outlet end in a` much shorter period of time than would be the case if there were `a forward'inovement through'the' tank of a stream of glass f having a greater cross section. The glass, therefore, falls short of the more thoroughA melting and lining, which is required in order to give a high quality of glass. T he capacity of the tank is correspondingly reduced, as any forcing in the matter of pro# duction correspondingly reduces the period which. the glass is given to pass from the filling end'to..the outlet, and increases the.

danger of producing glass of poor quality, incident to` the presence of stone, ream and. other defects resulting from a too rapid melting and fining. e A Y p `The object of the present invention is to rovide a tank construction in which the ow ofthe body or; stream -ofl glass is .working end.

sig-ned to assist in maintaining a difference.

ATENT orifice; A lf widened and increased in cross section, so 3 that the velocity of flow'is'reduced and give a longer period otmeltingand ining,

and in which the temperature of tlie'glass in the working end ofthe tank along the side Walls is increased-to provide a greater How 4 in such portions of the ,tankincident to the greater fiuid'ity of the glass. at such points. Certain-embodiments of the .invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,A

wherein l Figure l is a liorizon-talfsection through.

the tank. Fig. 2 is a vertical-section' on the line II-`II of' Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionon the line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig.. 4 is` a transverse section on the line IV-IV otliig. 2. Fig. 5' is a transverse section on the line V-V of Fig. 2. Fi 6 is a.- transverscvsection through a ino ification, Such `section being taken at a point corresponding to thesection ot Fig. 3, And'Fig. 7 isf a. section through a modified detail of con struction.

Referring to the drawings,- 1, 2, 3, 3, and 4 are the rear, front, side,- andbottom walls respectively of a melting tank, and' 5 is the.

arched top wall thereof. Intermediate the eoA ends'cf the tank is an arch member 6 mountin accordance with the disclosure of thea Ved in a framework 7 forvvertical movement plication ot Karl G. Kutchka, Serial 0.]

74,557ffled December 10, 1925; '.'This arch separates. the tank into two parts, the 'rear part 8 being termed the melting or filling end and the front part 9 beingtermed the This arch member is deinftemperature in the tank betweenthe two v ends, which difference in temperature may be regulated by vertically adjusting the position ot the member.

.. The melting end othe'tank is provided" with `the usual' regenerator. heating means,

nace isprovided withV the outlet slot 11 i (Fig. 2) in front of which are mounted the sizing rolls 12', 12 `for continuously rolling -out of a sheet ofglass, which is Subsequent4 trated for this purpose, into which the requirements.

l glass through the center of the tank andwhich is withdrawn yhas nothin to do'with.

the present invention, as the g ass may be withdrawn rfor any desired pur ose, such as the manufacture of receptac es or the making lof window glass, in which latter case the glass may be ladled from the tank or drawn directly from forehearths orextensions in a manner well known inbthe art. The feeding of the batch intothe tank at its filling end 8 may be-accomplished in any desired manner, an extensionlb being illusbatch is shoveled or dumped by means of a co'nveyor. lntermediatetheends of the tank, and preferably almost opposite to the arch member 6 is' an archedbridgewall extending upward from the bottom of the tank and comprising 'the arch wall 14 and the two side walls 15, 15. This wall is preferably built of the same refractory material as the tank and may be cooled by means of a, number of pipes 16 connected to a suitable air supply line'l? and extending longitudinally of the brid e wall. Any other suitable means may e em loyed for cooling the bridge wall, or arti cial cooling means may be` entirely dispensed with, depending u on r uirements and conditions. The top ci, this ridge wall will ordinarily project about half way to the surface of the glass -bath in the tank, although this is a matter which will also depend upon conditions and The presence of this wall, extendin as it does, transversely of the tank, ten s to cause the hot stream of glass at the center of the tank to spread out and widen, bringing a larger volume of this glass to the surface where it is better exposed to the reflected heat from the arch than would otherwise be thecase Iif the central stream were deeper and narrower. The

wall thus tends to retard the' flow .of the s read it-out, and as a'result, the period of time which is required for the glass to 'move from the filling end to the withdrawin end or slot is very substantially increase resulting in a better quality of glass and increasin the capacity of the tank as heretofore pointed out.

The retarding of the surface glass and the spreading of it laterally is also referably augmented by the use of suite le refractory oaters-18, 18, which extend from one side of the tank to the other (Fig. 1), and extend several inchesbelow the surface driving.

rolls. As heretofore indicated, the

of the glass. These floaters in combination with the bridge wall ve considerably retard the flow of glass an spread it out laterally, the amount of glass iiowing along at the center of the tank being reduced, while the amount flowing along at the sides in such center is correspondingly increased.

A second bridge wall is also preferably employed in addition to the one just dcscribed, such bridge wall being located intermediate the first wall and the front wall of the tank. This bridge wall, consisting of the arch members 19, 19 and the side walls 20, 20 is somewhat differently constructed than the first wall, as indicated in Fig. 5, a passage 21 being yprovided through which a flow of air may be directed from the pipe 22 connected to theair line 23. However, any other type of bridge wall at this point might be employed, with or without an artifical cooling means. As in the case of the first bridge wall, refractory floaters 24 are preferably employed above the wall extending from.y one side of the tank to the other and tending to spread out the center stream of glass and provide a better opportunity 4for the uniform cooling ofthe glass and anserles of blocks 25, 25, 25 provided at their rear sideswith the headers 26, 26, 26. The blocks are provided with a plurality of minute passages 27 having the enlargements 28 at their forward ends, and a mixture of gas and air'is supplied to these passa es from the headers through the pipe 29. his pipe 29 is supplied from a fan 30 having an air intake at 31 and a gas supply pipe 32, the fan being driven from a motor 33. In this manner, a combustible mixture is forced through the blocks and burns at the inner faces ofthe refractory blocks. The size of the recesses 28 is such and the gas ressure is lili] lll) of heat supplied at the sides of the bath being much greater than that sup lied to the center of the bath, so that the tendenc of the the heating means is to equalize t e temperature of the glass bath at the surface Lfrom one side to the other. Under these conditions more glass will be drawn to the outlet slot from t e side portions of the tank so that the tendency of the heating means,

like the bridge},walls, is to widen the flowing streamof surface glass and give a more uniform temperature to the layer of glass withdrawn through .fthe outlet slot. Any tendency towardl'the formation of devitrified .glass in the corners o/f the tank adjacent the front wallgis` also reduced because of the iny creased temperature provided at these points by the incandescent heating blocks; The heating blocks are preferably mounted in the i supporting structural work so that they may be removed when desired for replacement and repair.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of heating means for the Working end of the tank, which nleans may be substituted for the n heating blocks 25, 25, 25 of the Fig. 1 construction. This heating means is provided in the form of recuperators or regenerators 34,34 in connection with gas and air ports 35 and 36; through which a supply of gas and air isiforeed through the passages 37, waste products of combustion being drawn ,Y into the recnperators or regenerato'rs from the tank through the passages 38 leading through the checker work of the regenerators. Any other desired heating means might-be applied at the side walls in place of those described and illustrated.

Fig. 7 illustrates a n'iodification in the bridgewallconstruction, involvin the filling ofthe corner spaces on both sie adapted to reduce the volume of stagnant glass at this point and thus prevent the formation of devitriiied glass which is apt/to occur at this point where there isa very slow movement of theghtss combined with a relav-tively lo'w temperature. In other respects,

the bridge wallf'corresponds to that of Fig. 1.

It will be understorxl that the bridge wall is supported by Asteel structural members in such. manner as Ato render the structure secure andthat only suiiicient cooling is applied to the walls to prevent its too rapidgwasting away and consequent contamination of the glass incident tothe flow of the hot glass over the clay.

What we claim is: 1.1In combination in a melting tank, a

melting end provided with heating means, a

working end having a withdrawing opening,

V'ing end and the working end.

and an archedbridge wall lying :below the surface of the. glass intermediater the melt- 2. In combination in a4 melting melting end provided with heating means,a Working end ,having a withdrawin opening,

Vand an arched bridge wall lying' elow the 'surface of theglass intermediate the melting end andthe working end, such wall hav'- ing its ends terminatingshort of the side -wal'ls of the tank. l l

3.`In combination in a melting tank, a

melting eni provided with'h'eating means, s ,f

y s of the Ybridge wall with the refractory blocks ,39

`parallel therewith.

working end having a withdrawing opensurface of the glass intermediate the melting and working ends, and a refractory iioater in the glass above the bridge wall and extending transversely across the tank.

4. The combination with a glass melting tank having a melting end and a working end with an arch member between said ends partially separating the space above the glass in the melting end from that in the working end, and an arched bridge wall lying below the surface of the glass immediatel y below said arch member.

5,1111 combination in a melting tank, a n'ielting end providedv with heating means, a working end having a withdrawing openimf, and a hollow arched bridge wall 1 ing be ow the surface of the glass interme iate the melting end and the working end.

6. In combination in a melting tank, 'a melting end provided with heating means, a o1-king end having a withdrawin opening, an arched bridge wall lying be ow the sur-face of the glass intermediate the melting end and the working end, and a second arched bridge wall lying below the surface of the 'glass intermediatethe first bridge wall and the forward end of the tank.

7.'1'n combination in a melting tank, a

melting end provided with heating means, a

working e-nd having a withdrawingopening,

and an arched bridge wall lying elow the surface ot' the glass intermediate'the endsof thel working end ofthe tank and extending transversely thereacross.v i

8. Inooinbination in .a melting tank, a melting end provided with heating means,

a working end having a withdrawing opening,v and a hollow arched bridge wal l ing glass 'intermediate the first bridge wall a'nd the forward end of the `tank, and a refractoryloater in the glass above 4each brld e wall and extending` transversely across t e grovided with heating means,

los

loater in the glass above the bridge wall in' 11. In combination iny a melting tankL'a` melting end provided with heating means, a working` end having aowithdrawing o ning, and heating means in the side wal s of y the working end of the tank adjacent'the forward ends of such walls, such heating means comprising refractoryblocks having their inner faces recessed, and means for supplying a mixture of gas and air to such esmas A I l faces so as to secune surface combustlon over l the faces` In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 15th day of March, 1926.

K. G. KUTCHKA. T. H. SWARTZLANDER. 

